The debate between strength training and cardio has been ongoing for years when it comes to weight loss. While both forms of exercise have their benefits, strength training has been shown to be more effective in losing fat and achieving long-term weight loss. In this post, we’ll explore the reasons why strength training is more important than cardio for weight loss and how it can help you achieve your fitness goals.
Understanding Fat Loss:
To understand the benefits of strength training for fat loss, it’s important to first understand how fat loss works in the body. When you create a calorie deficit through diet and exercise, your body will start to burn stored fat for energy. However, if you’re not using your muscles through strength training, your body will start to burn muscle tissue as well as fat tissue.
This is where the importance of strength training comes in. By building and maintaining muscle mass, you can help your body burn more fat while preserving your muscle tissue. This is because muscle tissue is metabolically active, which means it burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. By increasing your muscle mass, you’ll also increase your metabolism, making it easier to maintain a calorie deficit and achieve long-term weight loss.
From a scientific standpoint, strength training plays a crucial role in fat loss.
When you engage in resistance training, your body needs to expend energy to complete each repetition and set. This energy comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats in your body. This process is known as anaerobic metabolism, which means it doesn’t require oxygen like aerobic metabolism, which is used during cardio exercises.
During strength training, you create small micro-tears in your muscle fibers, which triggers a process called muscle protein synthesis. This is where the body uses amino acids to repair and rebuild the damaged muscle fibers, ultimately leading to muscle growth and increased strength.
This process of muscle protein synthesis requires energy, which means your body continues to burn calories long after your strength training session is over. This effect is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) or the “afterburn effect,” and it can last for up to 48 hours after your workout.
In addition, building muscle through strength training also increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of calories your body burns at rest. This means that even when you are not exercising, your body will burn more calories simply because you have more muscle mass.
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that 10 weeks of strength training increased resting metabolic rate by 7%, while another study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that strength training increased resting metabolic rate by 5%.
Moreover, strength training has also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which is important for weight loss. When you have good insulin sensitivity, your body can use glucose more efficiently, preventing excess glucose from being stored as fat. Strength training has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in both healthy individuals and those with type 2 diabetes.
Overall, strength training is a highly effective way to promote fat loss and long-term weight loss. It increases your metabolism, creates an afterburn effect that burns calories long after your workout is over, and improves insulin sensitivity, all of which are important for losing fat and maintaining a healthy weight.
Strength training and building muscle is more important than cardio for losing fat and long-term weight loss for several reasons:
- Increased metabolism: Building muscle increases your metabolism, which means your body burns more calories even when you’re not exercising. Cardio can burn calories during the workout, but once you’re finished, your metabolism returns to its normal rate. Building muscle creates a long-term increase in metabolism, making it easier to maintain weight loss and keep the weight off.
- Body composition: Cardio may help you lose weight, but it doesn’t necessarily change your body composition. Strength training builds muscle and reduces body fat, leading to a leaner and more toned appearance. When you lose weight through cardio alone, you may end up losing muscle along with fat, which can lead to a “skinny fat” look.
- Improved insulin sensitivity: Strength training has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which is important for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Cardio may help with weight loss, but it doesn’t have the same impact on insulin sensitivity as strength training.
- Injury prevention: Building muscle can also help prevent injuries. Strong muscles provide support for the joints, reducing the risk of injuries during exercise and everyday activities. Cardio can also be beneficial for overall health, but it doesn’t provide the same level of injury prevention as strength training.
- Long-term sustainability: Strength training is a sustainable form of exercise that can be maintained over the long term. Cardio can be effective for short-term weight loss, but it can be difficult to sustain over time. Building muscle and strength can provide a sense of accomplishment and progress, making it easier to stick with the program and continue making progress.
- Improved overall health: Strength training has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including improved bone density, reduced risk of heart disease, and improved mental health. Cardio can also be beneficial for overall health, but it doesn’t provide the same comprehensive benefits as strength training.
- Increased calorie burn: Building muscle also increases your body’s calorie burn during exercise. When you have more muscle, your body has to work harder to perform exercises, which can lead to a higher calorie burn. This can be especially helpful for people who have a hard time burning calories through cardio alone.
- Reduced risk of weight regain: Finally, building muscle can reduce the risk of weight regain. When you lose weight through cardio alone, you may end up losing muscle mass along with fat. This can lead to a slower metabolism, making it easier to regain the weight once you stop exercising. Building muscle can help prevent this by maintaining a higher metabolism and preventing the loss of muscle mass.
In conclusion, while cardio can be an effective tool for weight loss, strength training and building muscle is more important for long-term weight loss and overall health. Strength training provides numerous benefits that cardio alone cannot match, including increased metabolism, improved body composition, improved insulin sensitivity, injury prevention, long-term sustainability, improved overall health, increased calorie burn, and reduced risk of weight regain. By incorporating strength training into your exercise routine, you can achieve long-term weight loss and improve your overall health and well-being.
If you are not sure about how to add strength training into your workout routine or if you are not seeing results as fast as you would like, our coaches are here to help.
